On Sunday, May 6, Nashville played an important role in the nationwide launch of “All of Us,” the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) research program that aims to collect the health information of 1 million or more research participants.
All of Us is a momentous effort to advance individualized prevention, treatment and care for people of all backgrounds. People ages 18 and older, regardless of health status, will be able to enroll.
As one of seven designated launch cities, hundreds of Nashvillians were able to learn firsthand about opportunities for enrollment in this historic initiative through an event co-sponsored by FiftyForward and Vanderbilt Health that was held at the FiftyForward headquarters in Madison.
“The All of Us Research Program is an opportunity for individuals from all walks of life to be represented in research and pioneer the next era of medicine,” said NIH Director Francis Collins, MD, PhD, who participated via simulcast from New York City.
“The time is now to transform how we conduct research — with participants as partners — to shed new light on how to stay healthy and manage disease in more personalized ways. This is what we can accomplish through All of Us.”
Those on hand at Sunday’s launch event heard from speakers including Collins, Nashville Mayor David Briley, U.S. Rep. Jim Cooper, D-Tennessee, All of Us Director Eric Dishman, Dara Richardson-Heron, MD, the program’s chief engagement officer, Joshua Denny, MD, MS, Vanderbilt’s Vice President for Personalized Medicine, and Tennessee Rep. Brenda Gilmore, D-Nashville.
